The Long Beach Blues Society

Long Beach Blues Society commits to the enduring legacy of blues music through all forms and seeks to continue one of the oldest and purest forms of expression so that those coming up in each generation knows of where it all began. LBBS seeks to teach each generation and encourage the generational creative process to excel through the following programs:

-Blues in the Schools (BITS) are classroom or school-wide performances for low-income k-12 schools with award-winning blues musicians and includes a history of the Blues, demonstrations of styles unique to U.S. regions, musical instrument instruction, and musicians sharing about working in the music industry; in 2023, this program will be strongly supported with the addition of a music education consultant to build out relevant and impactful program curriculum.
-The Millie Show was created to support 'normalizing the environment' for children in care at Miller Children's Hospital through musical creation on iPads with portable keyboards and speakers, children are able to create tracks, sing on songs and receive their results as MP3's at the end.
-Blues For Vets uses the transformational power of music and creativity to support veterans' psychological and emotional needs by connecting professional blues artists with local veterans through workshops and performances so Veterans can learn to express their feelings in a healthy way, experience healing and positivity, and feel connected to a supportive community.
-Blues for Seniors provides uplifting workshops and concerts to seniors, particularly for those with limited income and/or limited access to live entertainment.
-Blues for All offers free live music provided by local professional blues artists to inspire the next generation for the rich history of Blues, as well as uplift the local community and economy of disenfranchised areas of Long Beach that do not have access to live music.
-Lastly, LBBS is a co-producer of the New Blues Festival each Labor Day weekend where attendance has grown each year, from 2000 fans in 2014 to 6000+ fans in 2017, and serves to help promote the work of LBBS to the general public (free festival tickets are given out at all Blues in the Schools, Blues for Vets, and Blues for Seniors presentations).

Testimonials

The Long Beach Blues Society has proved itself an excellent partner to the many organizations with whom it has collaborated. The partners and schools that LBBS have worked with in the past recognize the Society's efficacy and the value of its programs, as evidenced by both their glowing testimonials and their continued partnership. For example, Long Beach mayor Robert Garcia specially recognized the contributions of LBBS during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the majority of the schools that the organization works with have been continuous partners since near its founding. The special impact that the Blues Society has had on the Long Beach community has been consistently recognized and reaffirmed. For more testimonials, see the list on the website here: https://www.longbeachbluessociety.org/honors-and-awards.html.